The Census Bureau said that new durable goods orders declined 1.4 percent in February, falling for the fifth time in the past seven months. Much of the decrease in February stemmed from reductions in the demand for transportation equipment, with new orders in that sector down 3.5 percent in February. This included a reduction in sales for motor vehicles and parts (down 0.5 percent for the month) and fewer nondefense and defense aircraft orders (down 8.9 percent and 33.1 percent, respectively). Note that aircraft orders can be quite volatile from month to month, as nondefense aircraft orders had increased 122.2 percent in January. Therefore, we often look at this data by stripping out the transportation equipment sector, and when you do so, durable goods orders decreased by 0.4 percent – still a soft figure. This mirrors other data showing a number of headwinds dampening demand and output in the early months of 2015. (continue reading…)

The Richmond Federal Reserve Bank said that manufacturing activity contracted in March, declining for the first time in 12 months. The composite index of general business conditions decreased from zero in February to -8 in March. The underlying data were lower across-the-board, reflecting weaknesses for the month in terms of overall activity and a deterioration from February’s numbers. This included new orders (down from -2 to -13), shipments (down from -1 to -13), capacity utilization (down from -4 to -7) and the average workweek (up from -6 to -4). As such, manufacturers clearly pulled back in a number of areas for the month, likely due to global slowness, a stronger dollar and reduced commodity prices. On the positive side, hiring (up from 4 to 6) continued to grow modestly, providing some encouragement moving forward. (continue reading…)

The HSBC Flash China Manufacturing PMI reflected reduced activity again, down from 50.7 in February to 49.2 in March. It has contracted in three of the past four months now, reflecting a decelerated rate of growth in China. China has reduced its target real GDP growth rate for 2015 to 7 percent. New orders (down from 50.4 to 49.3), exports (up from 47.1 to 49.0) and employment (down from 49.3 to 47.0) were all below 50 in March – the threshold signifying growth. It was the reduction in demand that pushed the headline index lower. On the positive side, output (unchanged at 50.8) continues to expand very modestly for the month, and the decrease in input prices (up from 42.2 to 44.7) have helped manufacturers in terms of costs, even as the rate of decline was less in March. (continue reading…)

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey reported expansion in the sector for the third straight month in the district, but at a slower pace. The composite index of general business conditions from the New York Federal Reserve Bank has declined from 10.0 in January to 7.8 in February to 6.9 in March. The underlying data suggest a mixed picture for the sector. The pace of shipments (down from 14.1 to 7.9) eased for the month, but continued to grow at a decent rate. In contrast, growth in new orders (down from 1.2 to -2.4) slipped into negative territory. Roughly one-quarter of survey respondents said that their orders had increased for the month, with 27.5 percent noting declines. As such, these data mirror other indicators which reflect current headwinds in the economy. (continue reading…)

The HSBC Flash China Manufacturing PMI shifted to a marginal expansion in February, improving slightly after contracting for two straight months. The headline index increased from 49.7 in January to 50.1 in February. The underlying data were mixed. New orders (down from 50.8 to 50.4) and output (up from 50.1 to 50.8) grew slowly for the month, even as the pace of sales slipped a bit. At the same time, new export orders (down from 51.1 to 47.1) and employment (up from 49.1 to 49.3) declined on net. Export sales, in particularly, deteriorated to their lowest level since August 2013, which was disappointing. The index for hiring, which has contracted now for 24 consecutive months, increased to a 7-month high, with the pace of the decline decreasing. Final PMI data will be come out on Monday, March 2. (continue reading…)